A GROUP of digital whizzes are tackling a gruelling cycling challenge to help raise funds for charity Prevent Breast Cancer.

Five employees from Altrincham-based digital signage agency Pixel Inspiration are taking part in the London to Paris Cycle Challenge, which will see them, along with five other supporters, travel a mammoth 320 miles between 21 and 24 June in support of the Manchester-based charity.

Barry Bugg and Natalie Woodall of the company, however, extended the journey by 240 miles by setting off from Manchester three days earlier on June 18. A countdown clock at Manchester Central will kicked them off on their journey down south to Bexleyheath, where they joined the rest of the team.

From there, they took on a number of steep climbs and descents until they reached Dover, where they boarded the ferry to Calais. Once on French soil, they tackled the demanding hills of the countryside and cycle through traditional market towns and the Somme, before finally reaching the Eiffel Tower.

With sponsors including Samsung, Scala, Dynascan, NEC and DailyDooh, the initiative comes as part of a long-standing partnership between Pixel Inspiration and Prevent Breast Cancer. Pixel recently created a poignant video for the charity to demonstrate its key messages of prediction, prevention and protection, and encourage viewers to assist with its fundraising goal of £1 million per year.

Barry from Pixel Inspiration said: “Prevent Breast Cancer is a charity very close to our hearts and we’re honoured to be supporting it by taking part in London to Paris. The charity’s research really does protect future generations from this terrible disease, so we jumped at the chance to raise some money to contribute.

“We’ve been training for the past few months, which in itself has been tough.”

Prevent Breast Cancer, based at the Nightingale Centre on the University of South Manchester complex in Wythenshawe, is the UK’s only charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer.

Nikki Barraclough, executive director of Prevent Breast Cancer, said: “Breast cancer is the most common of all cancers, with over 55,000 people being diagnosed each year in the UK alone. We truly believe that prevention is better than cure and it’s our mission to make the disease a thing of the past.

“As a charity, we rely solely on donations to carry out our groundbreaking research, so we were over the moon to learn that the team at Pixel Inspiration are helping us with our cause by taking on such a huge challenge. We’re extremely grateful for their efforts and wish them luck – or should I say ‘bonne chance’!”

To sponsor the team, visit preventbreastcancer.org.uk/donate/donate-london2paris-2017/

Last year’s London to Paris challenge raised over £80,000 for Prevent Breast Cancer.